NBA
Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 and the Boston Celtics held off the depleted Denver Nuggets 118-106 as three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic sat out because of an illness. Porzingis also had 11 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday finished with 19 points. The Celtics attempted 35 3-pointers, which was well below their season average of 50.17. Instead, they went down low and outscored the Nuggets by a 60-46 margin in the paint. Russell Westbrook had 26 points to lead Denver. Michael Porter Jr. added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Nuggets dropped to 10-7 at home. They were 33-8 last season.
Jalen Green scored 22 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the Houston Rockets routed the short-handed Washington Wizards 135-112 on Tuesday night. Alperen Sengun added 26 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson scored 20 points and grabbed 15 boards, and Fred VanVleet had 19 points as the Rockets improved to 6-1 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents. Houston overcame a 20-point first quarter — the fewest points allowed by last-place Washington in a period this season. Corey Kispert scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 18 in the Wizards’ third straight defeat.
LaMelo Ball had 32 points and 10 rebounds, Miles Bridges added 21 points and the Charlotte Hornets snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 115-104 win over the Phoenix Suns. Nick Richards added 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Charlotte (8-27). Devin Booker had 39 points and 10 assists, while Kevin Durant added 26 points for the Suns (16-19), who’ve lost five of their last six. The Hornets took a 13-point lead at the half after outscoring the Suns 37-17 in the second quarter behind 10 points from Ball, who was scoreless in the first quarter. Ball scored 29 points in the second half on 8-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers.
Quinten Grimes had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Dallas Mavericks snapped a five-game skid with a 118-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks ended their losing streak without their top scorers. Luka Doncic has been out with a left calf strain since Dec. 25, and Kyrie Irving has been sidelined the past two games with a bulging disk in his back. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 21 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Los Angeles lost its second straight and for the third time in five games.
Anthony Edwards highlighted a 32-point performance with seven 3-pointers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-97 to take some luster off of Zion Williamson’s return from a 27-game absence. Williamson, who’d been sidelined by a left hamstring strain, scored 22 points to go with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 27 minutes in just his seventh game this season. Former Pelican Julius Randle scored 16 points and ex-LSU star Naz Reid added 13 points for Minnesota. Dejounte Murray scored 27 points for New Orleans, but CJ McCollum, who scored 50 points just two games earlier, shot 1 of 14 as the Pelicans lost for the 21st time in 24 games.
Trae Young hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from beyond the halfcourt line to give the Atlanta Hawks a 124-121 victory over the Utah Jazz. Young took an inbounds pass, dribbled to just short of halfcourt and hit the 49-foot winner as time expired while being loosely guarded by Collin Sexton, who had seemingly forced overtime with a tying 3-pointer with four seconds remaining. Young finished with 24 points and 20 assists. Lauri Markkanen made a season-high eight 3-pointers and scored a season-best 35 points for Utah. Sexton added 24 points and Walker Kessler finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Bam Adebayo had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists with two timely dunks down the stretch, and the Miami Heat snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 114-98. Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Trayce Jackson-Davis added 19, and Draymond Green contributed seven points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The Warriors were booed by the home crowd, and many frustrated fans headed out of Chase Center early for a second straight game. Miami won in a tough road back-to-back following a double-overtime defeat at Sacramento a night earlier.
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick says members of his family were among those in Southern California forced to evacuate their homes due to a wildfire that was being whipped by strong winds around Los Angeles. The fire swept through a Los Angeles hillside where Redick lives alongside other celebrities, burning homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands. Before the Lakers took on the Mavericks in Dallas, Redick acknowledged the gravity of the situation affecting his family and neighbors. He says “a lot of people are freaking out.”
After imposing his will on offense for four quarters, Atlanta’s Trae Young still had one play left in him with the final seconds ticking off the clock. Young heaved a buzzer-beating 49-foot 3-pointer from just behind the halfcourt line to give the Hawks a 124-121 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. The dramatic shot capped a game in which Young had 24 points and 20 assists while committing only two turnovers.
NHL
Jamie Benn scored on a power play 2:17 into overtime and the Dallas Stars rallied from an early three-goal deficit to defeat the struggling New York Rangers 5-4. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves and Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley had a goal and two assists. Harley’s snap shot tied it 4-all at 17:21 of the third period following a terrible turnover by Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller deep in his own end. Benn’s 11th goal came with Artemi Panarin in the penalty box for hooking and gave the Stars their only lead. Dallas’ captain tipped in a centering pass from Jason Robertson to win it. Harley also assisted on the play. Dallas denied New York goalie Jonathan Quick his 400th career win.
Adam Henrique scored two goals and Connor McDavid scored on a power play midway through the second period as the Edmonton Oilers won their fourth straight game, 4-0 over the Boston Bruins. Stuart Skinner, who left the game late in the first period after a collision with the Bruins’ Nikita Zadorov before returning at the start of the second, stopped 26 shots. Viktor Arvidsson added an empty-netter for Edmonton, while center Leon Draisaitl’s point streak was halted at 14 games. It was the Bruins’ fifth straight loss. Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves but lost his fourth straight start.
Auston Matthews and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to their fifth straight win, 3-2 over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Matthew Knies tallied the go-ahead goal with 6:39 remaining to help the Maple Leafs sweep a home-and-home set with Philadelphia. Toronto defeated the Flyers 3-2 in overtime on home ice on Sunday. Leafs goalie Joseph Woll made 30 saves. Travis Konecny scored both Philadelphia goals.
Patrick Kane scored on a power play with 2:39 remaining in overtime and the Detroit Red Wings extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Dylan Larkin scored on a power play in the first period and Joe Veleno also scored in regulation for Detroit. Larkin extended his goal streak to four games and his point streak to six games. Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa, which has lost five of its last six games. Anton Forsberg made 30 saves.
Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson scored in the shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Tuesday night. Elvis Merzlikins, who made 20 saves, stopped Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby in the shootout, as Columbus came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period. Adam Fantilli scored a third-period power-play goal and Dmitri Voronkov scored twice, giving him nine goals in seven games. Rickard Rakell scored twice and Michael Bunting set a career high with his eighth power-play goal. Crosby had two assists. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.
Brayden Point scored with 52 seconds to play and the Tampa Bay Lightning snapped a four-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul also scored for Tampa Bay while Darren Raddysh finished with two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots in the victory. Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal scored for Carolina. Pytor Kochetkov finished with 31 saves. Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns appeared in his 884th consecutive game.
Matt Boldy’s tiebreaking goal early in the third period for the Minnesota Wild completed their comeback from a two-score deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues 6-4 for their fourth straight victory. Boldy snapped in a shot off a pass from Mats Zuccarello on a 2-on-1 rush. Joel Eriksson Ek scored for Minnesota midway through the second period. Jake Middleton tied the game 1:16 into the third. Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas scored early in the second period for a 4-2 lead for St. Louis that prompted the Wild to pull goalie Filip Gustavsson.
Morgan Barron and Josh Morrissey scored 16 seconds apart to help Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck record his 300th NHL career win 5-2 over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi and Nino Niederreiter also scored for Winnipeg, which halted a three-game losing skid. Mark Scheifele added a pair of assists. Hellebuyck stopped 26 shots. Filip Forsberg ended an 18-game scoring drought with his 10th of the season for the Predators. Juuse Saros made 26 saves for Nashville.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored a power-play goal at 2:05 of overtime in the Calgary Flames’ 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. MacKenzie Weegar had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who stopped a two-game skid. Nazem Kadri scored and Dustin Wolf stopped 25 shots. Mason McTavish tied it with 12:24 left in regulation for the Ducks, who have earned a point in five of their last six games. Alex Killorn also scored, and John Gibson made 30 saves.
Mark Stone had a goal and an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Zach Whitecloud, Victor Olofsson and Tomas Hertl also scored to help Vegas extend its winning streak to three games. Shea Theodore had two assists. William Eklund had a goal and an assist for San Jose. Timothy Liljegren also scored. Olofsson gave the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead on a power play at 1:10 of the third period. His ninth goal came on a slap shot from the circle off a backhand pass from Jack Eichel. Liljegren’s power-play goal trimmed it to 3-2 at 10:41, but Hertl sealed it with an empty-netter. Vegas goalie Ilya Samsonov made 20 saves. Sharks netminder Alexandar Georgiev turned back 38 shots.
MLB
Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $15 million, one-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical. It’s the latest big move by new Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey since he was hired in September. San Francisco also signed free agent shortstop Willy Adames to a $182 million, seven-year contract in December. This will be the 20th major league season for Verlander, a three-time AL Cy Young Award winner who turns 42 next month. The right-hander went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts for Houston last year.
NFL
Rex Ryan has returned to the New York Jets for an interview. The former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst, who led the franchise to its last playoff appearance in the 2010 season, met with the team Tuesday about its head coaching vacancy. Ryan went 50-52, including 4-2 in the playoffs, in six years with the Jets before being fired after the 2014 season. He openly has lobbied for the job during his recent TV appearances and said Monday on ESPN New York radio that he’s the perfect candidate and he expected to be hired.
The Las Vegas Raiders have fired Antonio Pierce after just one season as their full-time coach. It's the latest in a line of coaching changes for the Raiders over the past several years. Pierce took over as the interim coach midway through the 2023 season and went 5-4 the rest of the way. That earned strong player support for him to get the job on a full-time basis. But the Raiders went on a 10-game losing streak this season to put his job in jeopardy. Minority owner Tom Brady is expected to have a role in the Raiders' coaching search.
The Miami Dolphins don’t appear to have any immediate plans to trade Tyreek Hill. General manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel both had conversations with Hill on Monday, a day after the star receiver indicated he might want out of Miami following a loss to the New York Jets, which punctuated a losing season in which the Dolphins missed the playoffs. Grier said Hill did not retract his postgame statements in which the receiver said he was opening the door to potentially leave Miami, but Hill did not request a trade.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Syracuse 68 Georgia Tech 55
Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg had a highlight-reel moment with a coast-to-coast dunk while being fouled Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Flagg's dunk over 7-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham came early in the second half. The 18-year-old preseason Associated Press All-American had 14 of his 19 points after halftime in the 76-47 win. Flagg said his mind “kind of went blank" as he charged toward the paint. The play had Duke coach Jon Scheyer thinking back to former Duke one-and-done star Zion Williamson. And the play offered another glimpse of Flagg's tantalizing potential as a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick.
GOLF
Ludvig Aberg will be the answer to a trivia question: He made the first birdie in TGL history. And with that, the indoor golf competition that Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy had envisioned for years was finally underway. TGL had its debut match Tuesday night, with Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele of New York Golf Club taking on Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark and Aberg of The Bay Golf Club in the opener. Lowry struck the first shot at 9:15 p.m. Four minutes later, the first hole in TGL history was complete when Aberg rolled in a 9-footer for the first point in league history. The Bay went on to beat New York 9-2.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes believes losing at Florida will be good for his team. At least in the long run. The top-ranked Volunteers became the last Division I team to lose this season, getting thumped 73-43 at No. 8 Florida. This one was over shortly after it tipped. Tennessee missed its first nine shots, trailed by double digits a few minutes later and never recovered. The Volunteers got bullied in the paint, outmuscled on the boards and beaten up and down the court. The result was the most lopsided victory against a No. 1 team since UCLA and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, beat Houston 101-69 in the 1968 Final Four.
FORMULA ONE
Formula 1 has extended its contract with the Belgian Grand Prix but one of the sport’s most established races is set to be dropped from the schedule in 2028 and 2030. F1 said Wednesday that the extension starting from next year includes races only in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031. F1’s push in recent years to expand the schedule with more races in the United States and Asia has meant more competition for traditional venues in Europe seeking to keep their places on the calendar. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, a favorite with the drivers, was on the F1 schedule for the first championship season in 1950 and has been on the calendar every year since 2007.
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